Potpourri
July 11th 2008 06:27
The racing week flies by so fast that sometimes we might miss something. A quick catchup:
Seachange ran her last race when 4th in the Group One Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket last Wednesday. Nothing much went right on racedays in England when she drew 'the wrong side of the track' in the Golden Jubilee Stakes; then the rains came to an English Summer and made the track for her final race softer than she would prefer. She won 14 races and won nearly $1.5 million in prizemoney. She raced with a badly conformed off-front leg that restricted her to left-handed or straight-line tracks. The leg was so problematic that she was never presented at a yearling sale and was kept by the breeders. Not quite Sunline - but close enough to at least warrant comparison and consideration as the best horse in New Zealand since Sunline. She will return to New Zealand to be served by Zabeel.
(photo: Ron Wells)
Adelaide Cup winner Lacey Underall was retired to stud after failing to return to her physical best. Being not only a stayer - but a regular competitor at 3200m - the wear and tear on limb and ligaments took its toll. She retired with a peak speedfigure of 176 (compared to Seachange at 246) and won nearly half a million in prizemoney from her five wins and nine placings (including a previous unlucky defeat in the Adelaide Cup). At this time it appears she will be served by Haradasun. Not a bad idea as you would need to get some brilliance back into the pedigree. Two very different mares who have both given their owners lots of enjoyment. But as a breeding proposition Seachange looks to have a far greater chance of success.
Fred Kersley has indicated that it is unlikely that Marasco will return to Melbourne for another Spring campaign. He did look capable of anything at times with a win over Apache Cat in the Makybe Diva (Group 2 and his only win in Melbourne) and many placings including a 2nd to Pompeii Ruler in the Australian Cup and 2nd to El Segundo in the CF Orr Stakes. There were hopes that he would be the new (another) Northerly - but that was just wishful thinking. Horses the calibre of Northerly rarely come along.
Plastic running rails are to be installed at Cranbourne next week. This is the first trial and precursor of their installation at Sandown in mid-August. They are a common-sense addition that should make racing a bit safer for rider and horse.
Greg Eurell has mapped out a Spring campaign for Apache Cat that does not include any overseas travel. I like his new mindset of limiting the Cat to a short campaign; over short courses - and I agree that the prizemoney on offer in Australia makes overseas travel less enticing than it might be. Okay Greg, let's leave Hong Kong alone - but think long and hard about a European campaign. For the benefit of the sport of horseracing an overseas campaign by Apache Cat would be most welcome.
Curlin will make his turf track debut this coming Saturday at Belmont Park in New York. He is competing in the Group One Man O'War Stakes over 11 furlongs and will be tested by the Breeders' Cup Turf winners Red Rocks and Better Talk. This is a good test and first step towards a start in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October. Fingers crossed.
And Meydan Street won a maiden race at Newmarket this week at his second start. Big deal! (you might well say). Meydan Street is the second highest priced yearling of all time (we know which Monkey is top) and was sold for $11.7 million at the Keeneland September Sales in 2006. Trained by Saeed bin Suroor (a regular visitor to Melbourne in Spring...I wonder if we might see Meydan Street in Melbourne sometime in the future??) he won a 2000m event and is expected to be better over more ground.
Here is the video of the last start for Seachange: The Falmouth Stakes:
(she is number 7: white silks with blue cap)
Seachange ran her last race when 4th in the Group One Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket last Wednesday. Nothing much went right on racedays in England when she drew 'the wrong side of the track' in the Golden Jubilee Stakes; then the rains came to an English Summer and made the track for her final race softer than she would prefer. She won 14 races and won nearly $1.5 million in prizemoney. She raced with a badly conformed off-front leg that restricted her to left-handed or straight-line tracks. The leg was so problematic that she was never presented at a yearling sale and was kept by the breeders. Not quite Sunline - but close enough to at least warrant comparison and consideration as the best horse in New Zealand since Sunline. She will return to New Zealand to be served by Zabeel.
Marasco winning the Makybe Diva Stakes
(photo: Ron Wells)
Adelaide Cup winner Lacey Underall was retired to stud after failing to return to her physical best. Being not only a stayer - but a regular competitor at 3200m - the wear and tear on limb and ligaments took its toll. She retired with a peak speedfigure of 176 (compared to Seachange at 246) and won nearly half a million in prizemoney from her five wins and nine placings (including a previous unlucky defeat in the Adelaide Cup). At this time it appears she will be served by Haradasun. Not a bad idea as you would need to get some brilliance back into the pedigree. Two very different mares who have both given their owners lots of enjoyment. But as a breeding proposition Seachange looks to have a far greater chance of success.
Fred Kersley has indicated that it is unlikely that Marasco will return to Melbourne for another Spring campaign. He did look capable of anything at times with a win over Apache Cat in the Makybe Diva (Group 2 and his only win in Melbourne) and many placings including a 2nd to Pompeii Ruler in the Australian Cup and 2nd to El Segundo in the CF Orr Stakes. There were hopes that he would be the new (another) Northerly - but that was just wishful thinking. Horses the calibre of Northerly rarely come along.
Plastic running rails are to be installed at Cranbourne next week. This is the first trial and precursor of their installation at Sandown in mid-August. They are a common-sense addition that should make racing a bit safer for rider and horse.
Greg Eurell has mapped out a Spring campaign for Apache Cat that does not include any overseas travel. I like his new mindset of limiting the Cat to a short campaign; over short courses - and I agree that the prizemoney on offer in Australia makes overseas travel less enticing than it might be. Okay Greg, let's leave Hong Kong alone - but think long and hard about a European campaign. For the benefit of the sport of horseracing an overseas campaign by Apache Cat would be most welcome.
Curlin will make his turf track debut this coming Saturday at Belmont Park in New York. He is competing in the Group One Man O'War Stakes over 11 furlongs and will be tested by the Breeders' Cup Turf winners Red Rocks and Better Talk. This is a good test and first step towards a start in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October. Fingers crossed.
And Meydan Street won a maiden race at Newmarket this week at his second start. Big deal! (you might well say). Meydan Street is the second highest priced yearling of all time (we know which Monkey is top) and was sold for $11.7 million at the Keeneland September Sales in 2006. Trained by Saeed bin Suroor (a regular visitor to Melbourne in Spring...I wonder if we might see Meydan Street in Melbourne sometime in the future??) he won a 2000m event and is expected to be better over more ground.
Here is the video of the last start for Seachange: The Falmouth Stakes:
(she is number 7: white silks with blue cap)
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